Playground of Shadows
by Mina225
Summary: This is the forth installment in our Willie Loomis series. O/C Willie has the perfect family, a country away from Collinsport and Barnabas Collins. But that can only last for so long when their little daughter becomes the critical piece in a dark puzzle. HI! New Chapter Coming Soon! Should have it up in March! Stay Tuned! Sorry for the long break!
1. Chapter 1 - A Daughters Gift

**A/N: This story is the 4th in a series of Willie Loomis adventures. WARNING: If you have not read any of the other stories, this short intro is going to be a spoiler for them. **

**In the first story, 'The Beginning', Willie meets Barnabas Collins, and is trained to obey. Our second story, 'Restoration' introduces O/C Abigail, a young girl arriving in Collinsport to cover the restoration of the old house, and finds Willie just as interesting, ultimately falling in love with him and reverses the Vampires curse, freeing both Barnabas and Willie. It is also discovered that Abigail is a direct descendant of Angelique and Barnabas. In the third installment, "Return to Collinwood', Angelique is less than happy about Barnabas' new freedom, and is hell bent to turn him again, which ultimately interrupts Abigail and Willie's lives. But in the end, the young couple triumphs, and they have a daughter together, and they name her after Willie's mother, Lydie. Lydie has inherited the traits of her ancestors, with powers that have yet to be discovered. The one being that is aware of her gifts is Barnabas Collins, and he has been visiting the little girl in secret for most of her short four years of life, and unbeknownst to her parents. This leads us to this story, 'Playground of Shadows'. I do hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Playground of Shadows **

**Chapter 1: A Daughter's Gift**

It was quiet as Abigail lay in bed, eyes slowly opening, at the time of morning when the birds were perched and nearly ready to perform their sunrise chorus. She could hear her husband breathing, and feel the heat radiating off of his body, as he slept soundly beside her, his head resting easy against the pillow. How different Willie looked, compared to a few short years ago. He slept peacefully most of the time now, uninterrupted by night terrors filled with monsters and horrific memories, waking their home with screams and cries in the night. He'd made almost a full recovery from the nightmare that was Barnabas Collins. Four years had passed since the day they left Collinsport, and the Loomis family was now settled in California, and for the first time in Willie's life he finally felt safe.

She reached over and gently stroked the side of his cheek, and her eyes moved down his body and fixed on the scars that made a crisscross pattern across his thigh, and trailed up beneath the sheets. Anytime she looked at them, hatred would spike in her heart for Barnabas, but before her thoughts could switch to a darker time, a voice, so gentle and low, pulled her back.

"Are you going to stare at me all morning, Mrs. Loomis?"

She turned her head and looked at him, his eyes sparkling and full of mischief.

"Maybe I am, Mr. Loomis. I'm your wife, after all, I have every right to stare at you whenever I want to." He pulled her tight to him and kissed her forehead.

"It's too early to be up, you should go back to sleep." Willie nuzzled close to her, burying his face into her neck and kissing her behind the ear. Abigail giggled, and then moved so that she could look him in the eyes.

"Who, my dear husband, will make sure your birthday cake is ready then?"

_My birthday, shit._

"Abby, it's just another day. You know-"

"I know you don't like celebrating, but your daughter finds your birthday to be the equivalent of a national holiday. Stay in bed. I'll come back in a little bit. I just want to get a few things started before she wakes up. It's easier, sometimes, to just be able to maneuver the kitchen without little hands helping." She kissed him one last time, and rose from the bed, pulling on her robe.

Abigail quietly went into the kitchen, filled the tea kettle and placed it on the stove, and pulled out all of the ingredients to make the richest of chocolate cakes. She reached into the top cupboard and pulled out a brightly colored package, with a curled blue ribbon. Even if Willie wanted to ignore the day he was born, little Lydie Marie Loomis would never allow it. The child completely adored her father, she was his shadow, and to the beautiful little girl, he hung the moon and stars just for her. In her eyes his birthday was a holiday, one that was only second to Christmas, and at four years old his daughter loved to celebrate with sweets, and would color as many brightly colored drawings of all of her daddy's favorite things. Abigail would make sure to make the day special. The house would be filled with the aroma of his favorite cake, and for dinner she would make his favorite meal.

A single swirling whistle began to crescendo, yanking Abigail from her trance as she stirred the cake batter, and she rushed to pull the kettle from the stove. She poured the rich batter into the pan, placed it in the oven, and set the timer on for thirty minutes. As she started to prepare her tea, Abigail glanced at the clock again, _I still have some time. _Abandoning her tea_, _sheput the mug back on the counter and headed back into the bedroom, finding Lydie's tiny hands resting on her daddy's chest and her body snuggled tight into his side, and a father with his arm gently wrapped around his daughter, holding her close to him. Both fast asleep. She watched them for a few minutes, calm spreading through her like the warmest of days, and a smile impossible to avoid on her face.

_Twenty minutes, I can climb in with them for twenty minutes._

Abigail popped off her slippers, and climbed in beside her daughter and husband, nestling down in the cocoon of blankets. Willie lifted his head, opened his sleepy eyes and smiled a beam of light at his wife. He leaned over, careful not to crush Lydie, and kissed his wife sweetly, and then snuggled back down, grabbing Abigail's hand in his, and the little family fell back asleep.

* * *

"Mommy, mommy is the cake ready?" Lydie whispered into her mother's ear and thumped her gently in the forehead with her little finger.

"hmmm…" Abigail sighed looked up, a pair of sparkling green eyes staring back at her.

"Did you finish the cake? I want to put the sprinkles on before daddy gets up." Lydie scrambled over to the side of the bed and Abigail was wide awake in an instant, realizing that it was nearly eight o'clock. She had overslept.

"Oh no! The cake! Shoot! Lydie, honey, can you go get changed for mommy? Put on your pretty yellow dress, I have it all laid out for you. I can't believe I overslept!" Abigail was moving frantically as Lydie ran gleefully into her room. Abigail dashed over to the other side of the bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and started to pull them on when she was yanked back down to the bed.

"Did someone oversleep?" Willie pulled her to the bed and laughed.

"Willie, stop playing, I left the cake in the oven, it must be burnt to a crisp by now, my God, I could have set the entire house on fire! You know everyone is coming for dinner tonight? I have a to-do list a mile long."

Willie pulled his wife onto the bed and pinned her down beneath him, eyes bright and playful.

"Mrs. Loomis, am I on your list of things to do?"

Abigail tried to look annoyed, but it was impossible, and she started to giggle.

"Yes, Mr. Loomis. But, you are the very _last_ thing."

"Last? I'm hurt!"

Willie cocked his head sideways, and then kissed his wife passionately, leaving her breathless.

"Well, you think about that until you get to me." He scooped her up and sat her upright on the bed, and then he got a bit more serious, his smile turning slightly down. "You really don't need to go to all this trouble today. It's just another day. I'm fine with just the three of us. My birthday isn—"

Abigail silenced him. "Your birthday _is_ a special day, without it there would be no us…or her." Abigail gestured toward the doorway, which provided a view into the bathroom across the hall. A view of little girl standing on a stool, dressed in a pretty little yellow sundress, brushing her teeth and humming 'Happy Birthday'.

* * *

"Blow out the candles Daddy, go on! You hafta make a wish!"

Willie picked Lydie up and pecked her on the cheek. "You help me. On the count of three, okay? One…two…three!" They both blew out the candles, and Lydie clapped with excitement and then pulled Willie's face between her hands, slightly squishing his face. She looked at him seriously.

"Now, don't tell anyone your wish, or it won't come true. Not even mommy."

"Okay, I won't."

Willie put his little girl on her chair, and they all shared cake and ice cream.

"Time for presents!" Lydie yelled, and Willie locked eyes with Abigail, and she could see that he was getting uneasy. He had his fill of attention, it was too much, too overwhelming, and he wanted to shrink into the background. At parties, or other gatherings, his best friend was always there to rescue him. Over the years, Calem was the one person, other than his wife, that Willie felt completely comfortable with. Calem knew the truth about his past, and Willie trusted him completely. Calem was good at reading situations where his friend was uncomfortable, and most of the time would step in with a wild story from his childhood, taking the attention away from Willie. But on a man's birthday, well, that wouldn't be fair. Abigail's heart went out to her husband as he took his seat in the chair at the head of the table.

Willie opened his presents. A lovely book on marble restoration from Abigail's parents, no doubt at her suggestion. A new wallet from Calem and Kate, and a large box of orange tea and butterscotch candy. From Eli and Erin came a weekend getaway at their home in Florida, airfare included, and from his wife he received a beautiful watch, one that was tough enough to withstand a hard day's work on construction sites.

"Well, I guess that's it!" Willie exclaimed, knowing there was one more overstuffed envelope on the table.

"Daddy," she pouted, "there's one more! Don't you see?" She stomped over and grabbed the envelope and promptly thrust it at him. "You have to open this!"

"Oh! I see!" Willie smiled, "come and sit with me."

Lydie climbed onto his lap, and he carefully slid his finger under the envelop flap. He pulled out a handful of folded construction paper.

"What are all these?" Willie smiled, and caught Abigail's signal that she was going to run to the kitchen to grab coffee for everyone.

"For you!" Lydie began to unfold the drawings, showing him each one.

"…and this one is of you and me when we caught that fish, remember?" Lydie wrinkled up her nose, and then pulled that picture away and revealed the next one, "and this a picture of your birthday cake…" Lydie continued until she reached the last drawing, and within half a second, Willie's entire world collapsed around him.

He didn't hear anymore. The impact of the last image left him numb. The room, and everyone in it, faded away. He only saw the picture, and his hands started to tremble. A slow sick feeling began to consume and suffocate him. A simple white piece of construction paper and a black drawing, void of any other color. The words 'My Frend' written across the top. The drawing was of a person, a man in a black suit, with funny hair, and a big black ring, holding a cane that had the head of a dog, or a wolf, on top.

_No…no no._

His heart started to pound so hard that he could feel it thump against his chest, the sour knot so long a stranger to him, suddenly reappeared. There was a surge of panic that rushed through his veins and his leg began to nervously bounce frantically.

"That's my secret friend daddy." Lydie whispered into his ear. "You wanted me to draw him."

_Oh God no._


	2. The Princess, The Raven and The Monster

**Chapter 2: The Princess, The Raven and The Monster**

Kate was slicing another piece of cake for Abigail's father as Calem took careful notice of Willie across the dining room table, and watched the birthday boy's smile slide off of his face.

Willie stared at the black crayon picture as everything around him faded away. In that moment, gravity became so overpowering that he could feel it pushing him into the chair, and squeezing tight around his chest. He swallowed hard, and shut his eyes as tight as they would go, allowing the heaviness to consume him.

"Would anyone like coffee?" Abigail walked into the dining room to discover everyone quietly staring at Willie, whose face had turned white; he looked as if he were about to pass out.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Lyddie lifted the blond sweeps from her Daddy's forehead and pressed her tiny palm against his skin.

Abigail set the tray of cups on the table. She saw a distance in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time. When they reached California, he suffered for nearly a year from debilitating flashbacks that would strike him in the middle of the day. He would withdraw, and inside his mind he would re-live a random horrific memory, and this look would be painted on his face. It was a blessing that Calem's wife, Kate, was a psychologist, and with her help he was able to cope, and move past them. But here Abigail stood, and the look had returned, she reached down and gently rubbed his shoulder. "Willie, what is it?"

Lyddie looked up at her Daddy and pouted as he dropped the pictures to the table; the black and white drawing on top was a child's visualization of one Mr. Barnabas Collins.

The little girl reached over and gathered up the pictures, and thrust them back at her father.

"You don't like 'em?" Eyes as wide as saucers stared up at him, disappointed and sad that her Daddy didn't beam a smile at her and show excitement for a gift made with her own hands. A gift she had spent so much time on. Willie's heart sank. He pulled his little girl tight against him, although his heart was racing, along with a thousand questions in his head. "I-I love them…t-they're perfect…my favorite present of all"

"What is this?" Abigail gently took the black and white drawing from the artist's tiny hands and stared at it. Simple curiosity took a sharp turn, and was replaced with shock. "Lyddie, why did you draw this?" Abigail tried to keep her voice calm, fighting against a snake of growing panic coiling around her.

Willie kissed his daughter on the head and then looked her in the eyes.

"Lyddie, did you invite your secret friend into our home?"

"This…this is your _friend_?" Abigail's voice sounded more agitated than she wanted it to, Calem walked over and stood beside her and she handed him the picture; he knew in an instant the reason for Willie's sudden turn.

The the small girl knew when something was wrong, and started to squirm on her father's lap.

"It's okay, Mommy and Daddy just need to know. Please, just tell us if he has been in the house."

As the rest of the guests sat, confused, Calem moved quickly to clear the room. "Why don't we go into the living room and give them a few moments." Calem helped Abigail's mother up from dining room table, and Eli and Erin carried the tray of coffee, following Kate into the living room.

Willie and Abigail were now left alone with their daughter, waiting for an answer to a very important question.

"Was he in the house?" Abigail pulled a chair over and gently placed her hand on Lyddie's knee.

"Y-yes" Lyddie answered in the smallest of voices "He's my friend and he only comes in my room, and we play games and color sometimes. He teaches me stuff too, and shows me how to use my special magic."

"Oh no." Abigail and Willie's eyes met, and she reached over and squeezed his thigh, which was shaking uncontrollably.

Willie abruptly scooped up his daughter and grabbed the colorful drawings. He kissed the child on the head and headed for the kitchen. Abigail quickly followed.

Willie and Lyddie stood in front of the refrigerator selecting her favorite alphabet magnets. "Okay, let's put these up so I can see them all the time." The first was a bright pink work of art with multi-colored hearts, and was secured to the refrigerator, followed by a bright yellow paper with a family of three drawn on it, all holding hands and with giant smiles on their faces. One drawing followed the next, until she finally handed him the black and white one. "No…not this one. Daddy is going to keep this one in his pocket. Now, why don't you go run into the living room, I think Grandma and Grandpa have a present for you from their trip to London."

Lyddie clapped her hands excitedly and skipped away to the other room.

"He has been in the house." Abigail whispered as a tear fell. "He's been spending time with our little girl." Another tear dropped and Willie quickly pulled her close to him. "What if he had tried to hurt her? Or you? How did we not know? Oh God, what are we going to do? "

Willie turned her face to look at his, "Nothing, not right now. We have a house full of people, and we don't want to scare Lyddie, okay? Let's just get through the rest of this evening, and then we can sit down and figure it out."

* * *

"Is your dad okay to drive? I know he has a hard time seeing at night." Willie asked Abigail as they walked through the front door after seeing her parents out.

"Yes, even if he wasn't, he's too stubborn to say so. I hope Eli and Erin have a good flight home tomorrow. Erin is going to ask me a million questions; I hate lying to her."

Abigail looked around the living room feeling slightly skittish. "Where's Lyddie?"

"She's in the dining room with Calem, he's trying to get more information. He figured he could make a game out of it." Kate smiled and as Willie passed she stopped him briefly. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned about his mental wellbeing. With this kind of a shock entering his system, it could be a huge set back. She was worried it would spark something and undo all of the hard work he had done to move forward and cope with his traumatic past.

Willie looked sweetly at her, touched by her genuine concern. "I'm okay, I think."

Willie and Abigail stood in the doorway, trying not to interrupt and watched the play before them. Calem had a stuffed animal in the form of a raven in his hand, and was dancing it around the table. Lyddie had a delicate, blonde princess puppet over her hand, and was holding onto the raven's wing.

"So, when does your friend visit you? I want to visit too!" Calem said in a funny bird-like voice.

"Kind sir, he only comes on Sundays, you'll have to wait until then." Lyddie replied.

"I see you are having fun." Willie slid into the chair beside Calem, and took the stuffed raven. "Who is this?"

"His name's Zeke. Grandma bought him from a real castle! She said that he protects the kingdom and the princess!" Lyddie held up her princess doll.

"My goodness, how lovely." Abigail replied. "Kate, would you mind taking Lyddie into her room to get her pajamas on?" her voice was strained, trying to sound as normal as it could, but she was nearly ready to fall apart.

"Of course! Come on, cutie!"

Abigail and Willie sat at the dining room table, ready for Calem to spill his new found information.

"Okay, our secret friend has been coming around for about 6 months. Lyddie said the first few times were in her dreams, but then in person on her last birthday. He only comes on Sundays and always brings a game for them to play, and after the game he instructs her about magic. When he leaves he takes the game and flies out the window."

"So he will come tomorrow." Willie could feel his heart start to speed up again. "What the hell does he want?"

"I don't know, but if he wanted to harm you, or kill you, it would have already happened. It must be something else."

"But why now? After all this time?" Abigail grabbed Willie's hand and held it tight.

"I'm going to wait for him tomorrow night. Abby, I want you and Lyddie to go home with Calem tonight. Barnabas has been in this house and I want you out of here, the sooner the better. Stay there until I come back for you. Okay?"

"It's absolutely not okay!" At that moment an explosive whispering battle began between the three of them.

"Over my dead body will I leave you!" Abigail gripped Willie's hand tighter.

"It's your dead body that I am trying to avoid!"

"Willie, I will not leave you."

"Abigail, he could come into this house at any time. I don't want you or Lydia at risk. Calem, help me out here."

"I-I'm sorry, I'm with Abby on this. You shouldn't be alone, and I'm not leaving either."

"What?"

"We are all staying." Kate joined them and then knelt down to catch Lydia who was running down the hallway to join them. "You want Auntie Kate and Uncle Calem to sleep over for a couple of days?" The little girl lit up and Willie was irritated at the dirty tactic of using Lyddie to win the argument.

* * *

"Here, a little something to calm your nerves." Calem reached into the refrigerator in the garage and handed Willie a bottle of beer.

"Na, I rea—"

"Shut up and just drink it, Willie. What the hell are you doing out here anyway?"

Willie lifted up a shortened broom handle, which had no broom attached, but the end had been sharpened to a point.

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious."

* * *

Willie sat on the floor in the darkest corner of his daughter's room, surrounded by overstuffed animals, which he would swear were hiding in the shadows, button eyes wide and afraid of an unwanted evening visitor.

A soft purple glow radiated from a nightlight on the floor, and Willie was momentarily mesmerized by the stars that rotated on the ceiling for several minutes. The only sound was from the large Snoopy clock that hung on the wall.

_tock tock tock_

Willie's eyes darted around the room, each new shadow sparked his anxiety until he realized that it was just a toy train, or the ruffle from the bed. He sat with every muscle tightened as the night moved slowly by, gripping the broom handle tightly.

_tock tock tock_

Willie could hear the wind begin to pick up through the slightly cracked window, but he remained motionless in his corner, still all except for his heart which was beginning to pound out of his chest. The sound of the clock getting louder and louder as he waited for the Thing to appear, the Thing that fueled his every nightmare, and left its mark across his skin.

_tock tock tock_

One hour, then two, then three passed. Willie glanced towards the bedroom door, which was shut tight, feeling uneasy with Abigail and Lyddie still in the house, and then darted his head towards the window, hearing a scraping sound drag against it.

_A tree…it's just a tree limb_

Another scrape, followed by long white bone branches reaching around the window and slowly opened it wider, and wider. A thin leg reached in and then another, until the entire being was standing on the floor.

_tock tock tock _

Barnabas silently removed his coat and hung it on one of the bed posters, all the while Willie watched, his heart in his throat, and held his breath.

"Lydia?" Barnabas spoke to the hidden pillows beneath the mattress. "Lydia, darling, it is time to wake for our lessons, and we have a new game to play."

Barnabas gently pulled back the covers, to find a cluster of pillows in the place where he should have found a beautiful blonde little girl. The Vampire pulled his hand back swiftly, and then retreated to the center of the room, warily looking about.

Willie rose to his feet before Barnabas could spot him, but stayed hidden in the shadows, stashing the wooden stake behind a stuffed Mickey Mouse. He summoned every single ounce of courage he had, and then found a little more, and spoke.

"I'd like to play a game." His voice was low and flat and without a quiver or a stutter.

In an instant Barnabas' eyes locked with Willies, and the vampire took a cautionary step back, but quickly composed himself.

"Don't ya wanna play a game with me?"

"Willie." Barnabas looked him up and down, "I wasn't expecting you."

"What do you want?"

"You look well. California suits you." Barnabas walked towards his former servant, who instinctively backed away from him, but maintained his composure.

"We have a beautiful child."

"No. I have a beautiful child, she is mine. Not Yours." Willie found more courage somewhere from deep within himself, and approached Barnabas aggressively, pointing towards the window. "You know what? I don't care what you want. Get out, and never come back."

Barnabas brushed Willie's hand away, dismissing his outburst completely.

"I see you still allow your emotions to consume your actions. I have no desire to harm you, or my family.

"Stop saying _my family_. They are not yours!" Barnabas was slowly walking in a circle around Willie, as intimidating as ever.

"Ah, but they are. I gave them life, and without me there would be no them. No Abigail, no Lydia Marie, nothing. They are direct descendants of the child I bore with Angelique, and therefore, I am their family."

"I want you to get out!"

"Our daughter was far more hospitable when she _invited_ me into your humble home."

Barnabas observed the young man. He could smell the fear radiating off of Willie, and yet he stood brave, and defiant. And an odd sensation crept over the vampire, a loneliness he thought had passed with the years since the boy's departure. He realized that he missed his former servant, like a father misses a son who leaves for war.

"Barnab—"

The vampire shushed him, and motioned towards the chairs at the small tea table. "Sit. Perhaps I can explain in a way that your simple mind will understand ."

Anger spiked up Willie's spine.

"I said sit!" Barnabas growled at him, and finally the young man sat and reluctantly listened. "Lydia was born with a special purpose. She is more than the mere daughter of lowlife William Loomis. She is the key to winning a war that has raged for hundreds of years. She is not just a child, but a most powerful weapon."

Willie sat stiffly in the chair, listening as each word out of the beast's mouth poured another drop of gasoline on an already lit fire that was waiting to explode.

"She is dangerous to all those around her, and to herself, less someone can teach her control it. That is why I am here. I am her teacher, her friend, her second father."

It was the last set of words that caused Willie to erupt. He lunged across the table and grabbed the lapels of Barnabas' coat, pulling him up to a standing position and knocking the small tea table on its side.

"You are NOTHING to her! Do you understand me!? I will kill you before you ever see her again."

Barnabas pushed Willie back into the corner of the room, and threw him to the ground, holding him down amongst the stuffed animals.

"No, Willie." Dead, black marble eyes penetrated a frightened blue. "It will be your dead body that I step over, so that I may continue with my plan. You have the order of things wrong."

Willie reached desperately on the floor beside him, feeling around the disrupted pile of stuffed toys, grappling for his weapon. He thrust it at Barnabas, almost making contact with the Vampire's chest before he was lifted by his neck and pinned against the wall.

"That child loves me, just as Sarah did." Barnabas insisted.

Willie gasped for air, dropping the sharpened wood to the floor, where it rolled under the bed.

Upon hearing the commotion, Abigail grabbed the metal crucifix hanging on the wall in the hallway, and burst into the room. She flipped on the lights, located Barnabas, and thrust the cross in his direction. Acting on impulse, Barnabas tossed Willie across the room, and Willie's head made hard contact with the dresser as Barnabas backed away from Abigail's outstretched hand.

"NO… NO NO!" A tiny voice shrieked. "DADDY!" Lyddie had squirmed out of Calem's hold and burst over the threshold and ran to her father. "Oh Daddy!" She reached out and touched her unconscious father's damaged forehead, and then held up her tiny hand, dripping with blood.

A match made of fury and fear ignited within the small girl, and she stood glaring at Barnabas.

"Lyddie, come here, come by Mommy." Abigail was still holding up the cross, but was now crouched beside Willie, holding his head, as Calem and Kate stood speechless in the doorway.

"Lydia, darling, it was an accident; I – I didn't mean to hurt him. You must believe me." Barnabas began to cower slightly before the child.

"Nobody hurts my Daddy!" Her voice growled, and with all her might she launched her new stuffed animal, the guardian of the castle, towards Barnabas.

And before the toy raven hit the floor, it came to life, as if possessed by a demon, and attacked Barnabas, making long scratches down his pale white face, ripping the dead flesh from his cheeks. Next, the child threw her princess doll, which animated and poked at his eyes before it wrapped its plush arms around his neck, pinning him against the wall.

Barnabas was screaming and flailing his arms about his head. "Abigail, control the child!" Abigail stood frozen, staring at her daughter, and dropped the cross to the floor.

Calem attempted to grab the small girl, but she pushed him back with the flick of her finger, shoving he and his wife into the hallway. The door slammed shut of its own accord and a chair flew across the room to lodge itself beneath the knob.

The little girl continued to punish her father's assailant. "You are very bad!"

Abigail stepped between her daughter and her victim, and wrapped her arms around Lyddie, hugging her tight, and cooing in her ear that she need to stop, that everything would be fine. After several seconds, Barnabas fell down to the ground, and the raven and the princess fell to the floor beside him; the perfect princess' dress covered in dark red crimson streaks. The child walked up to Barnabas, who was barely able to catch his breath and spoke to him.

"Why did you hurt my Daddy? I thought you were my friend." For half a heartbeat a flash lit behind her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed, and of course would love to hear from you, but I want to leave a personal thank you to my beta Mad Margaret. I am a firm believer that every writer should have a beta, and I have one of the best! If you haven't had a chance to look at her work, I recommend it, starting with Part 1 of the (7 part) Willie Loomis World Series: Little Willie.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Darker

**Chapter 3: Darker**

"Lydia, get away from him." Abigail scooped up her daughter and kicked the chair from under the door knob, freeing it. Calem and Erin rushed back in, bewildered by the surreal sight before them. Barnabas was struggling to his feet and Willie was sprawled on the floor.

"Oh, Daddy!" Lydia scrambled from her mother's arms as Abigail followed her to Willie's side.

"Lyddie, be careful."

"Is he okay?" With a tiny hand the child pointed to the open wound on her daddy's forehead. "Daddy's bleeding!"

"He'll be fine. Go get me a wet washcloth, okay, baby? There's one in the bathroom, just stick it under the faucet to get it wet."

"I'm going to take this one out of here." Calem assisted Barnabas to the door. "We'll be in the dining room."

Abigail acknowledged with a nod, and then returned her full attention to her husband.

* * *

Willie opened his eyes slowly, the vision of Abby's concerned face swimming before him. He struggled to untangle his thoughts when, like a lightning bolt, he remembered Barnabas and panicked.

"Is everyone okay? Lyddie? W-where is she?" Willie stood up abruptly, but his stomach protested and sent a thick wave of nausea through him while a firecracker of pain exploded in his head. "Oh God…I-I'm gonna be sick."

"We're fine, here, just lie still; you hit your head pretty hard." Abigail gently guided him back down, pulling pillows from the bed to set them behind his head.

"Oh, Daddy, are you okay?" Lyddie placed the damp cloth over her father's forehead, while Mommy's hands hovered nearby, ready to pull her back if she was too rough. But with all the gentleness of a feather, the small girl positioned the wash cloth, and then kissed her father's cheek. "I'm sorry, Daddy; I'm sorry my friend hurt you. But he isn't my friend anymore; he is mean and bad!"

Willie moved to a sitting position cautiously, allowing the room to anchor itself as he moved. Then he hugged Lyddie, and pecked her on the cheek.

"Daddy's just fine. Don't you worry." Willie shot a look up at Abigail. "Where's Barnabas?"

"He's in the dining room with Calem and Kate."

"I want to talk to him," Willie demanded as he again tried to stand.

Abigail nodded and helped her husband to his feet.

* * *

"Would you please hold still?" Kate chastised Barnabas as he fidgeted in the dining room chair. "I can't put this bandage on if you don't stop squirming."

Barnabas explored his face feeling the newly placed plasters on his cheek and forehead. "The injuries will heal; I'm surprised they haven't already."

The vampire pondered this for a moment. This was the first time, since becoming one of the undead, in which he was wounded and the damage did not immediately heal. The power of the small girl was even stronger than he had imagined. In fact, she may have actually destroyed him if Abigail hadn't interceded in to stop her. Most unsettling, Barnabas was troubled by the thought that his tiny assailant was now convinced that he had tried to hurt her father.

Abigail entered the dining room, guiding Willie to a chair opposite their unwelcome guest

"Willie wants to speak to you privately." Abigail leaned her hand on the table and looked Barnabas squarely in the eyes. "And if you so much as lay a single finger on my husband, I will let Lyddie finish you permanently. Do you understand?"

"I did not intend to hurt him; I assure you, he attacked me." Barnabas insisted.

Mrs. Loomis ignored his comment and reiterated, "You harm a single hair on his head, and I will tell Lyddie that you tried to hurt her daddy, and she will take you down. It's that simple."

"You have nothing to fear."

"But you do. Tread carefully Mr. Collins."

Abigail waved everyone out, Except for Willie, who sat silently across from his one-time captor, squeezing his eyes tightly shut before he spoke. The young man clenched his stomach and tried to compel the waves of nausea to settle down.

"I have no intention of hurting you, or your family."

Willie glared at the vampire "You threw me against a wall."

"You tried to attack me." Barnabas scowled in return, a cold, brittle stare that eventually the young man broke; unable to withstand the intensity of the vampire's eyes.

In that single stare, Willie remembered the horrors of the old house, and how he was brought to heel to the monster sitting before him now. He would never allow his daughter near Barnabas if he could help it, and a spring of courage emerged within. He looked back into the face of the vampire, and began again.

"Stay away from my daughter."

"She is in grave danger."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Certainly you are aware of her many powers."

"That's none of your business."

"You are quite mistaken, the things of which she is capable are the concern of all men. But she is too young to comprehend her abilities, so I must protect her before it's too late." Barnabas reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket and his removed an envelope. Opening it carefully, he began to pull out photos and newspaper clippings.

"I want you to look at this." Barnabas placed a black and white photo in front of the young man.

Willie glanced at it, but didn't pick it up; he didn't want to cooperate. All Willie wanted was to get this uninvited guest out of his home to never return. But a nagging in his belly told him that there was something else, something dark was coming. Something he wouldn't want to hear.

"Look at the photograph, what do you see?"

Reluctantly, Willie reached for it and looked at it dismissively.

"It's a burned down church or something, so what?" He tossed the picture back to Barnabas.

"Look closer. Look!" Barnabas pushed it back to him, and he picked it up again, rolling his eyes and then finally focused on the photo.

"What do you see?" The vampire leaned in, making Willie uneasy, and causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prick up against his collar.

"A b-burned down church. Horse and b-buggy, a man in a hat standing beside it, and another man with a mustache, standing with his hand on a little kid."

"Look at the child, look at her face, do you see it?"

"Do I see what?" Willie was getting irritated. His head was pounding, and playing the vampire's 'I Spy' game was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Whom does she resemble?"

"It's a shitty photo; it's a little girl, but it could be anyone."

"No! She looks like you daughter. The resemblance is uncanny." Barnabas snatched the photo from Willie's hands and held it up, staring at it in a dream like way. "Chicago Fire of 1872." Barnabas slowly placed it face up on the table before him and then pulled out a second image.

"Now this one." Barnabas handed it over and Willie took it this time, and searched the photo, finding exactly what he hoped he wouldn't.

"The 6th of July, 1944, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. That fire killed 169 people, and more than 700 were injured. Do you see them?"

Willie nodded in confirmation as his heart began to beat a little faster.

"You see the gentleman with the mustache? It is the same man from the other photo, and observe the child he is holding. It looks like your Lydia, doesn't it?"

Willie looked with trepidation as the vampire removed the snapshot from his hands and handed him a newspaper clipping.

"May 6th, 1853. New Haven Railroad. The drawbridge never opens, and 46 passengers are crushed to death or drowned after the train plunges into the Norwalk River. Look at the sketch, you see? The same man, and the little girl in his arms."

Willie shook his head in denial and confusion. Each of the photos was haunting. The man stood with a look of complete disinterest, and the child had a look of fear, or possibly grief, on her face. Barnabas placed the remainder of the envelope's contents on the table before Willie.

"The Chinese floods of 1931." He pointed to yet another image.

"Stop."

"1864, the Dale Dike on Humble River crumbles, killing 240 people." Barnabas pointed to the next one. "And this one, 1865, July 30th, the worst steamship disaster in the United States: 225 people dead."

"Stop it." Willie clenched his jaw tight, beads of sweat forming at his hairline, and the queasiness was getting stronger.

"Look, there they are. The man and the child."

"Just stop it!" Willie thrust all of the photos towards Barnabas and pushed his chair back from the table. "What are you telling me? My daughter is some kind of reincarnated killer? Something evil?"

"Willie, you must calm down and listen."

"No, no I don't believe it. You need to leave us alone, and don't come back!"

"No, she is not some kind of killer reincarnated." Barnabas shifted in the chair and looked sincerely at him. "Please, just listen to me; your lives depend on it."

Willie took a deep breath, and then waved Barnabas on, signaling him to continue.

"The child in these photos, they are not the same, although their resemblance is somewhat remarkable. But the man is the same indeed, more wicked than the devil himself. He goes by the name of Nicholas Blair, and he has returned, searching for her."

Willie picked up one of the photographs and turned it over, staring at it as Barnabas continued.

"Every generation has a child born into it with powers which transcend witchcraft and the supernatural, and Blair finds her. It is always a girl with soulful, green eyes and flaxen hair. He snatches them from their homes, bewitches them, and forces them to use their powers in gruesome ways. It is said that the child ultimately ends her own life, unable to stop the monster that controls her. Your daughter is next, for she has stronger gifts, and Blair wants her more than any of the others.

"Death and destruction will become Lydia's siblings, and she will ache to have you near her, cry out your name, but you will never find her. Your daughter will be alone, and frightened, until she ultimately follows in her predecessors' footsteps to her death. But there will be no peace found in the afterlife, your little one will continue to haunt and destroy. She will become a legend of folklore and terror."

"No! Y-you're making this up, trying to trick me." Willie picked up pictures and started to flip through them. "You're using Angelique's magic to do this."

Barnabas reached out and placed his hand on Willie's trembling arm; their eyes met.

"I'm here to help her. I'm here to help you and your family. My family."

Willie stared blankly at the images, finding it difficult to breathe.

"Nicholas has already started his search for Lydia, and by Halloween, he will have her." Barnabas' voice began to growl. "Blair will walk right up to you in the street, snatch her from your arms, and disappear—unless you stop it! You must come with me! You must come back to Collinsport, for if you do not, you will seal the fate of your daughter forever!"

Willie rose from the chair and Barnabas mirrored him. "I've listened to enough of your bullshit. You've never cared about me or my family, let alone mankind."

Lyddie scampered into the room and grasped her daddy's hand; Barnabas cowered at the sight of her.

"You better go. I don't want to play with you anymore," Lyddie spoke angrily as Barnabas looked at the pair of them with frustration and desperation on his face.

Willie opened the front door, and Barnabas stepped out onto the front porch.

"Come to Collinsport where we can help protect you, before it is too late. We can help Lyddie hone her craft and use it against Blair. You and Abigail are not capable of teaching her. If you do not, you alone will be responsible for what is to come."

Willie slammed the door shut, and then rushed to grab the closest waste basket, and emptied the contents of his stomach into it.

* * *

It was cooler than normal for a summer night, and the wind coming in through the bedroom window gave Abigail a chill and woke her from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she reached over and kissed Lyddie on the head. In the weeks that had passed since Barnabas' visit, Willie kept Lyddie close. But there were some evenings, such as this one, where she would wake to discover her husband missing from their bed.

She wrapped herself in her robe, and headed to the back deck, where she found Willie sitting on a chair below their bedroom window.

"I'm beginning to think you're a vampire yourself with as much as you have been staying awake at night."

Willie smiled weakly, and quickly stuffed one of the pictures that Barnabas had shared with him under the cushion of the bench. He decided not to tell Abigail about them, not yet, not until he understood what they meant. But in the meantime, he kept Lyddie under close watch.

Abigail sat beside him and wrapped her arm around him. "Are they back? The nightmares?"

"Yes." He answered with hesitation, and Abigail's heart constricted for him.

"That's why you aren't sleeping then?"

"Lyddie won't hear me out here if I have one." Abigail remembered the terrifying screams that her husband would let out as he slept. Willie pulled Abigail onto his lap, and held her tight.

"She needs to start sleeping in her own bed again, then you can stay in ours, and if you have one I'll be there to take care of you." Abigail kissed him before she slid from his lap and sat beside him again.

"I have a confession to make." Abigail looked down briefly and then peeked through her eyelashes, unsure of how her husband was going to react to what she was about to tell him. She knew this wasn't the best timing, but they were alone, and she had done something that was gnawing at her. "I wrote a letter to your Mrs. Cannon and sent it to the orphanage in the hopes that they would forward it on to her."

"What? Why?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't do it, and she loved you so much, as much as any mother would love their son. She took care of you, wanted to adopt you, and you vanished. I can only imagine how heartbroken she must have been. How much worry she must have endured."

"I…you shouldn't have done that. Abigail, I'm not ready."

"I simply told her that you were fine, married with a daughter. She deserves to know that you're okay. You loved her, I know you did."

"She was the closest thing I had to a mother after mine passed. I did love her, I know that now, but I'm not prepared to have her in my life, our lives." Willie thought again of the photos with the strange man that Barnabas had unveiled; the last thing he wanted now was to have unfamiliar people around them.

* * *

"Mom, are you sure you want to do this? How do you know this letter is even real? How did she find you, this Abigail?" A young girl, around the age of seventeen, stood beside her mother and waited in line for a taxi at the airport.

"She sent this letter to the orphanage, and they forwarded it to me. If there is the remote possibility that it could really be him, I have to know." The woman's voice was kind and soft. She was in her early forties, but her face was care warn. She clutched a letter in her hand that contained information about William Loomis, and how he was all grown up now. The young boy she tried so desperately wanted to adopt. Her daughter grasped her hand gently.

Mrs. Cannon remembered the night she got the call as vividly as the day it happened. A young boy's body was dragged out of the river; blond, between the ages of 12 and 13, wearing a red letterman's jacket that had a library card in the pocket bearing the name William H. Loomis. She searched for him for 3 months before the body was found, she even went through with the adoption, so that when she did find him, he would come home to her, where she could love him and take care of him. But that dreadful night, when the police called her, all of her hopes had vanished. They said that he most likely jumped from the bridge and called it a suicide. Marie Cannon lived with the grief and guilt of not finding him in time. But she refused to let him be forgotten. His picture had a permanent place on their mantle, and she raised her twin daughters, Hannah and Rebecca, with the knowledge that they had a brother that had passed away. They celebrated his birthday every year, placing candles on the cake for how old he would have been, but only ever lighting 12 of them.

"Mom!" Hannah's voice got louder and finally shook her mother from her thoughts. "Mom, I just don't want you to get your hopes up. I know you want to believe that he could be out there, we all do, but you even said you had to identify his body, and I just don't want…"

The woman gently quieted her daughter. "I have to know, Hannah, if my William is out there, after all this time…what if it wasn't him? What if I made a mistake? I didn't look that closely, and …" The woman started to tear up as a cab approached them.

"Come on, this one is for us." The pair climbed into the cab and the woman pulled an envelope out of her purse, one that had a return address of Mrs. Abigail Loomis in the corner, and she rattled it off to the driver. The cabbie looked at them through the rear view mirror in acknowledgement.

"Of course. If there is anything you need, my name is Nicholas, I'll take you there right away."


End file.
